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Hardware Configurations
Bx Product Description BxArray - Doc BxLab - Doc BxKnowledge - Doc Hardware Configurations

 

 

Configurations

Hardware configurations for supporting different levels or sizes of Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), Knowledge Databases and Software Tools are described in this section. These are meant only for illustrative purposes and the actual configurations will be depend upon the specific requirements of the laboratory or biotechnology company.

 

bulletResearch Configuration -- Peer to Peer (without using Servers)
bulletResearch Configuration -- Using an Intranet
bulletProduction Configuration - Large scale storage with multiple servers

 

Research Configuration - P2P (Peer to Peer)

The following illustration depicts a simple computer configuration of low cost PC Workstations that are networked using a standard 10/100MB Ethernet.  The operating system is Microsoft Windows 2000/XP Professional with Microsoft Access as the database. The Admin & Assay PC Workstations should have a minimum configuration of 1GHz processor speed with 128 MB RAM and a 40GB hard drive. The Analysis and Data Mining PC Workstations should have a minimum configuration of 1.5GHz processor speed with 256MB RAM and multiple 60GB hard drives. The hard drives are to handle the storage requirement for the large number of image files and multiple databases. The illustration also includes a Barcode printer to underscore the requirement for labeling Targets, Samples, Slides/Chips and Lab Notebook Protocols with barcodes.  Also, since this is a standard network Laptops and other PCs can simply be connected.

The BxArraytm database resides on one of the PC Workstations and is accessed through file sharing with the limitation that it is not a full client/server database system. This means that writing simultaneously from multiple PCs can not be handled by the database while writing asynchronously can be done.   The size of each database should not be larger than about 1.5GB to minimize the time to perform complex data mining queries. Backup of files can be done by burning CDs and in the near future DVDs.  Macintosh computers can only share files with PC Workstations through a server; therefore, Research Configuration - Intranet below is the configuration that is needed for laboratories with Macintosh's.

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Research Configuration - Intranet

This is basically the same as the Research Configuration-Simple except that this contains a Database Server to handle medium size client/server databases that will allow simultaneous transactions. The client/server databases could be Microsoft SQL Server 2000, DB2 or Oracle. The workstation operating systems could be a mix of  Microsoft Windows 2000/XP professional, MAC OS or Unix.  The MAC OS or Unix workstations are supported only through web applications. The server operating systems could be a mix of Microsoft Windows 2000/XP servers, Unix or Linux. It also has an Intranet server to allow the laboratory to use web based applications on its internal data. A larger printer has been added to meet the demands of the larger system. Also added is a  tape backup system for disaster recovery, but alternative methods are also available.

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Notes from Microsoft: on Services for Macintosh

Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Services For Macintosh (SFM) is a thoroughly integrated component of Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, making it possible for computers running Windows and Macintosh OS to share files and printers. After Services for Macintosh is set up, that computer can function as a file server, remote access server and print server for Macintosh computers. In addition, Windows 2000 Server can perform the functions of an AppleTalk® router.

With Services for Macintosh, Macintosh computers need only the Macintosh operating system software to function as workstations; no additional software is required. You can, however, set up the optional Microsoft User Authentication Module (MSUAM), which provides a secure logon to the computers running Windows Server.

Production Configuration

The production configuration has network infrastructure  like that of the Research Configuration - Intranet with the addition of more powerful servers and large scale storage units called SANs.   The operating systems for the servers can be  Microsoft Windows 2000/XP servers,  Unix or Linux. The Client/Server databases can be Microsoft SQL Server 2000, DB2, Oracle or any other database capable of handling terabytes of data. A data server has been added to handle the processing of the increased number of raw image files. 

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Last modified: December 22, 2014